Being a sufferer of problem skin, (which is combination/Dry for the most part, but not without the odd patch of eczema and, just for good measure, being prone to acne at times!?) makes it extremely difficult for me to find good quality products that do not aggravate my sensitive skin and cause me further problems. I was quite keen to try out the 'Dramatically Different' range of cosmetics and skincare products from the "Clinique" brand to see if it could help calm my troublesome skin.

As I have tried and tested several items from the Clinique range with varying results - some of them appear to work (albeit minor) miracles whilst others seem to be a sheer waste of money, I was understandably reluctant to pay full-price for a moisturiser from the "Clinique Dramatically Different" range, mainly because they cost around the £25 mark for a bottle which is 125ml in size.

I was therefore more than happy to snap up a trial sized tube of the product on Ebay, which is a mere 30ml in size but only cost me a couple of pounds. I figured that this small tube would give me an idea of how the product would work with my skin before I parted with my cash to invest in the full-sized bottle.

The full name of the product I purchased was the "Clinique Dramatically Different moisturizing lotion - Very Dry to Dry Combination skin" which is of course a bit of a mouthful, but I have to admit that the impressive name of the lotion did appeal to me, given that it actually mentioned the words 'Dry' and of course' Combination' in the title... These are of course, two of the biggest obstacles I have to consider when it comes to my own skin and my usual skincare routine.

I won't go on too much about the packaging for this product as I of course have only the little 'sample sized' or 'trial sized' bottle in my possession, which naturally varies in style from the full-sized product. What I will say however, is that all of the products in the Clinique range overall have a rather sleek and modern edge to the packaging, without being overly complicated in their design, and the square shape of the (full-sized) bottle of the Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion is no exception to this.

The cream itself is a rather uninspiring colour, I have to admit. Normally this wouldn't be something that I would notice or comment on too much, but I have to confess that I do find the shade/tone of this cream rather odd... not altogether off-putting, just a bit strange. The cream has the same pale yellow colour that I would associate with a prescription cream that I get to treat my troublesome eczema which is perhaps why I personally found it slightly off-putting.

The consistency of the Clinique Dramatically Different cream is not at all thick, and in actual fact I found it to be rather thin and slightly runny overall which came as something of a surprise to me as it is a product aimed at helping to alleviate the problems associated with Dry/Combination skin, and most products I have bought for this problem in the past have had a rather thick and fluffy consistency to them. The Clinique Dramatically Different cream in comparison seemed to be very thin, and this gave me the impression that the product was not at all luxurious or even that of a high quality.... A very surprising - and disappointing - discovery, especially when one considers the rather presumptuous price tag for this product, perhaps?

The plus point to the thin consistency of this product however, is that it is easy to spread over my skin, and very little rubbing or smoothing is required on my part. Furthermore, I find that a little goes a long way with this product as it is so easily to smooth over my skin, and so I think that the product lasts a long time, which is probably just as well given the cost of the lotion.

The lotion is fragrance free which makes the lotion ideal for using at night time as well as during the day, for me at least. I am not a fan of using highly-perfumed cosmetics on my face at night time as I find that a lot of them can be quite over-powering which I find off-putting. Furthermore, the lotion has been 'Allergy Tested' which I will admit did give me some reassurance as to the suitability of this product in terms of my easily aggravated, overly sensitive skin. I can confirm too, that there has been absolutely no ill-effects with my own skin from using this product.

The results achieved from using the Clinique Dramatically Different Lotion on my troublesome skin are, at best, ok. I found that the lotion did nothing to help with the dry patch of dry skin/eczema on my forehead. NOTHING. Again, this was a huge disappointment given that the lotion is one that is specifically aimed at Dry skin types.

The rest of my face felt nice and soft and well, moisturised after I had used the lotion and I didn't think that the lotion was overly greasy which is a plus point for me personally. However, the results achieved from my own experience were ok as I said, and certainly nothing more. Yes, it's a moisturising lotion... did my skin feel moisturised after using the product?... Yes. Did my skin feel "Dramatically Different?".......... Absolutely not.

To be quite frank, I've obtained similar results on my problem skin with a generic, "mainstream", budget-brand face cream. Seriously.

In summary, I am relieved that I did not fork out the full price for this product and exercised caution and common-sense by buying the sample-sized bottle of lotion only. I would have been furious if I had shelled out around £25 for the full-sized bottle of lotion only to find the results were as disappointing as I found them to be. I can only award this Clinique lotion one star, and I would not recommend it at all. There are much better products available out there for less than half the price in my opinion!

If you want to try the product for yourself, there is a range of Clinique skincare products and cosmetics available online at www.boots.com. There is also a Clinique counter in larger Boots stores nationwide.